Cedar Breaks National Monument
Waiting For Darkness

As with any of my summer trips west, the goal was star shoots. Camping ensures easy access to an International Dark Sky park’s starry skies. But first you have to fill your day with the park’s beauty as the sun beats strong.

On my last visit to Cedar Breaks National Monument, I arrived after dark and was only able to shoot from the parking lot, worried about stumbling into an orange abyss of pinnacles in the dark. This time I arrived early to set up camp and hike about the park, deciding where I’d shoot in darkness. The campsite was nice but a little too close quartered to other campers. Though I managed to capture these shots of my physical isolation, it is important to note that it is more the light from the campers and the campsite (the bathroom’s white lights glow powerfully despite it being a certified dark sky park)–which travels with potency into my camera lens. That is the concern.

Clouds would move in and strike hard in the late afternoon with booming thunder bolts. But not before I managed to hike quite a bit.

Cedar Breaks National Monument offers a similar landscape to Bryce Canyon National Park with way less crowds. But all of the hikes in the park can be done in a full day.

Like many glorious geological features of this area of the country, sediment from its time as an ancient sea is responsible for gorgeous colors.

A historic cabin that is boarded up.

Clouds gaining strength

Now I am on my way to the Alpine Pond loop. Alpine because I am above 10,000 feet. I really liked this loop because it felt very Pacific Northwest-y.

The pond… it was crystal clear

Dorking it up!

Let us reflect

Back at the campsite… now the clouds would move in for powerful thunderstorms. But I knew I would still see the stars in the evening.

Ok, flash forward to sunrise after a successful star shoot evening. Thank you for all the gorgeous views, Cedar Breaks National Monument.